Apparatus for operating garage doors



Feb. 5, 1929. 1,700,848

A. MARTIN APPARATUS FOR OPERATING GARAGE DOORS Filed April l2, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet 1 BY Z brezlys.

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A. MARTIN APPARATUS FOR OPERATING GARAGE DOORS Filed April 12. 192'? 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INI/EN TOR. Exo/vain? Mn/T//Y Patented Feb. 5, 1929.

UNlTE ALEXAJDER'MARTIN, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

@PARAT'US FR OPERATING GARAGE DOORS.

Application ecy April 12, 1927. Serial No. 183,074.

This invention relates to apparatuses for mechanically opening andclosing doors and has for its principal object the provision of a simpleand inexpensive apparatus adapted to be applied to garage doors andelectrically controlled whereby it may be operated from a pointcomparatively remote from the ldoors to open and close the latter.

Y In carrying out the invention into practice, I mount a screw shaftwithin the garage above the doors, which shaft is disposedlongitudinally ofthe garage and fitted with a crosshead threaded on theshaft, so that it will travel back and forth thereon upon rotation. ofthe shaft in opposite directions. The crosshead mentioned is operativelyconnected with the doors so that its movement in opposite directionswill swing the doors open or closed as the case may be. For driving thescrew shaft I provide an electric motor, the circuit of which iscontrolled by automatically operated switches which automatically openand reverse the circuit at the end of the stroke of the crosshead.Additional switches are provided for initially closing the circuit whendesiring to operate the doors. These latter switches may be convenientlypositioned for operation at any desired point.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the followingdescription and illustrated by wayof example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in plan disclosing the preferred form of my apparatusmounted Within a garage and connected to the doors thereof with thedoors shown in open position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section through the garagetaken on line II-II of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is 'a view in plan of the device similar to Fig. 1 with theexception that the doors are shown in closed position.

Fig. 4 is a. diagrammatic view showing the electrical circuits and theswitch connections controlling the motor.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation of one of the doors showingthe release mechanism mounted thereon.

Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged fragmentary views showing the key controllingmechanism for operating the releasing apparatus. c

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragment-ary view showing a portion of thereleasing mechamsm.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 10 indicates agarage oi the type with which private residences are usually provided.rlhis garage is fitted with a pair of outwardly swinging doors 11 whichare hinged at their outer edges to the garage frame in a manner to forma closure for the garage opening, the inner edges of the doors lyingclosely adjacent when the doors are in closed position.

Arranged just above the doors and garage opening at the interior of thegarage is an angle iron beam 12 securely bolted or other wise secured tothe frame of the garage. Mounted on this angle iron beam 12 centrally ofthe door opening is a bearing block 14. In alignment with this bearingblock 14 rearwardly of the doors is a hanger 15 carrying a bearing 16. Journaled at its ends within the bearing block 14 and in the bearing 16and collared to secure it from axial movement is a screw shaftl?. Due tothe position of the bearing block 14 and the hanger 15, the screw shaft17 will be disposed longitudinally of the garage at the center of thedoors and slightly above the latter.

Adjacent its forward end the screw shaft 17 is fitted with a keyedpulley 18 which is engaged by a belt 19. This belt 19 is arranged over apulley 2O secured on the shaft of an electric driving motor 21. Thisdriving motor 21 is arranged within the garage adjacent the doors and toone side thereof. It may, however, be positioned at any othersatisfactor point if desired. The manner in which te motor circuit iscontrolled will be hereinafter described.

i The bearing block 14 and the bearing 16 are fitted with alignedopenings 22 arranged at opposite sides of the screw shaft 17 onapproximately the same plane as the latter. The openings at one side ofthe bearing block 14 and bearing 16V receive a fixed guide rod 23. Atthe other side of the screw shaft. 17 a reciprocable guide rod 24 ismounted within the openings 22. It will be noticed from the drawingsthat the guide rods 23 and 24 extend parallel to the screw shaft 17, andare mounted at their ends within the bearing block 14 and the bearing16. Likewise, the

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guide rods 23 and 24 are spaced approximately equal distances uponeither side of the screw shaft.

Slidably mounted .at its ends on the guide rods 23 and 24 is a crosshead25. At the center of this crosshead it is fitted with a fixed feed nut26, which is threaded on the screw shaft 17 It is therefore apparentthat rotation of the screw shaft 17 will advance the crossheadtherealong and along the guide rods 23 and 24 in a direction determinedrby the direction of rotation of the screw shaft 17.

Adjacent its ends but disposed intermediate the-bearing block and thebearing 14 and 16 the movable guide rod 24 is fitted with fixed collars27'. These collars are arranged at opposite ends of the guide rod butspaced away from the bearing block v14 and the bearing 16. Shortcompression springs 28 are disposed at the inner face of each collar onthe guide rod 24, and at each end of the guide rod 23 intermediate thebearings. These springs act against the crosshead 25 at either end ofits stroke, so as to absorb any jars in closing or opening the doors andto resiliently stop the crosshead atjthe end of the stroke and take upany lost motion.

From the foregoing it is obvious that rotation of the screw shaft 17 bymeans of the motor 21 will advance or retract the crosshead 25 along thescrew shaft 17 in a direction depending entirely upon the direction ofrotation of the screw shaft 17.

To operatively connect the crosshead 25 to the garage doors, at itsopposite ends the crosshead is fitted with rotatable spindle bearings29. These spindle bearings 29 are arranged vertically of the crossheadand may revolve about their axis. At the lower end the spindle bearings29 are transversely bored so that they will each slidably receive theends of pull rods 30. These pull rods extend from the crosshead to thecenter of each door adjacent the upper edge thereof. At this point thepull rods are pivotally connected to the doors.

It will be noticed from the drawings that the ends of the pull rodswhich extend through the bores in the spindle bearings 29' are eachfitted with a pair of xed collars. These collars are spaced uponopposite sides of the bearings 29 and compression springs are mountedbetween the collars and the bearings so that any lost motion in thedevice will be taken up, and also cramping due to too tight joints willbe avoided.

It is intended that movement of the crosshead aiong the shaft 17 impartswinging movement to the doors and it is seen that in opening the doorsthe forward end of the pull rods 30 will diverge, and for this reasonthe spindle bearings 29 are rotatably mounted on the crosshead.

In order to control the motor so that it will automatically ceaseoperations at the end of each stroke of the crosshead, I provide atransverse control shaft 31 which is ournaled on the angle iron beam andextends parallel thereto slightly above the beam. This control shaft isfitted with a depending crank arm 32 connected at its end to a link 33.The other end of this link is pivoted to the forward collar on themovable guide rod 24 so that any reciprocation of the guide rod 24 willbe transmitted through t-he link 33 to the crank arm 32 and thereby rockthe control shaft 31.

It should be stated that the crank arm 32 on the control shaftisarranged at the inner end thereof, the other end of the control shaftextending beyond the boundary of the doors so that it may be connectedby a crank arm 34 to an oscillating switch member 35.

The circuit of the' motor is so arranged that this switch is actuated atthe end of each stroke of the crosshead. At the end of one stroke it isswung in a forward position, permitting the current to go through themotor in one direction when the circuit is closed, and

'at the end of the opposite stroke of the crosshead the switch is thrownto a rear position, reversing `the direction of current How through themotor.

At the same time that the switch is actuated, the circuit is brokenthrough the motor and must be completed through the medium of Controlswitches 36. These control switches may be positioned at any convenientpoint, it being preferred that one of them be disposed within the garageor within the residence to open the doors, while the other beingdisposed in the driveway exteriorly of the garage and within convenientreach of looa the driver of the car approaching the garage.

It is intended that this latter switch be of thel key control type sothat unauthorized persons unless provided with a key to the garage.

In the event that the motor or.some of the mechanism should become outAof order, I have provided means for disconnecting one of the doors fromthe mechanism so that the door may be opened and access had totheinterior of the garage. This mechanism is key controlled and is mostclearly shown in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive of the drawings.

Reference being had to these figures it will be seen that a lock plate40 is mounted on the interior side of one of the doors. A key hole 41 isformed through an escutcheon plate 42, the door and the lock plate 40,so that a key 43 may be inserted therethrough. A bearing 44 is formedintegral with the lock plate 40 to support the inner end of the key. Itwill be noticed that this bearing 44 is formed with a horizontal section45 which extends between the lock plate 40.and the bearing 44 at theuppei` edge of the lock pla-te. A vertically arranged connecting rod 46extends above the lock plate and its lower end slidably projects throughthe horizontal portion 45. At its lower extremity this connecting rod 46is formed with a foot 47 adapted to be engaged by the lug of the key 43when the latter is revolved. A spring 48 normally tends to retain theconnecting rod 46 in its lowerinost position.

At its upper end the connecting rod 46 is connected with one leg of abell crank lever 49 which is pivoted at the interior side of the door.The other leg of this bell crank lever 4i) is connected with one end ofa second connecting rod 50, the other end of which is connected to asecond bell crank lever 51 also pivoted to the interior side of thedoor. The other" leg of this bell crank lever 51 is disposed beneath theend of the adjacent pull rod 30 which is detachably connected with thedoor, so that upward movement of this latter end of the bell crank lever51 will disengage thc pull rod 3() from the door, permitting the door tobe swung open.

From the foregoing it is obvious that when the key 43 is turned that itslug will engage the under side of the foot 47 on the connecting rod 46and force the same upwardly against the tension of the spring 48. This,through the medium of the bell crank lever 49 and connecting rod 50,will cause the lower leg of the bell crank lever 51 to move upwardly anddisengage the adjacent pull rod 3() from the door, permitting the doorto be swung open without operating the door actuating mechanism. Bymeans of this key con trolled mechanism should the motor or other partsof the apparatus become out of order, it will be an easy matter toobtain access to the interior of the garage to repair or adjust theapparatus.

In operation of the device, it is constructed and assembled as disclosedin the drawings at a point above the arage doors and interiorly ofthegarage. The pull rods 30 are connected to the doors and the circuits ofthe motor arranged as described, one of the control switches beingdisposed in the driveway. If it is desired to open the doors to admitthe car, this switch is closed to close the motor circuit. When thedoors are closed, it will be noted that the crosshead will be at therear end of the screw shaft 17 and the switch will be disposed asillustrated in Fig. 4.

The moment the circuit of the motor is closed, it commences operatingand through the belt 19 revolves the screw shaft 17, advancing thecrosshead on the screw shaft 17 toward the doors. This movement of thecrosshead 25 will be imparted to the pull rods 30 which will act toswing the doors outwardly and open them, the stroke of the crossheadbeing ljust suiiicient to open the doors wide.

As the crosshead approaches the end of its stroke, it abuts against thesprings 28 at the Vforward end of the guide rods. This abutment andfurther movement of the crosshead shifts the movable guide rod 24forwardly sufiiciently to rock the control shaft 31, through theconnections 32 and 33, to throw the switch to its second position,automatically opening the circuit and reversing the direction that thtcurrent will flow through the motor upon subsequent completion of thecircuit. The car may then be driven into the garage and the doors closedby closing the second control switch which may be located with in thegarage.

Closing the circuit will cause the motor to drive the shaft 17 in areversed direction as the switch operated by the control shaft 31 hasalready acted to reverse the current How. The crosshead will then travelrearwardly on the screw shaft 17 closing the doors. At the end of theclosing stroke, the crosshea'd will abut against the rear springs 28,shifting the guide rod 24 rearwardly and thence actu ating the controlshaft 31 to shift the switch actuated thereby to its original. position,breaking the circuit and arranging the latter so that subsequentcompletion of the circuit will drive the motor in an opposite direction.

From the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a comparativelysimple and inexpensive mechanism for openin and closing garage doors,which is electrical y controlled and entirely automatic in operation,the mechanism being very easy to install and applicable to any garagehaving swinging doors.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to beunderstood that various changes may be made in its construction by thoseskilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the inventionas defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described mv invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent In combination with a pair of swinging doors, a screwshaft disposed thereabove an at right angles thereto, a crossheadthreaded on said shaft whereby it will travel therealong when the shaftis revolved, pull rods connecting said crosshead to said doors wherebymovement of the crosshead along the screw shaft will operate the doors,an electric motor operatively connected to the shaft for revolving thesame, a remote control for the circuit of said motor, one of said pullrods being detachably connected to one .of the doors, a ke operatedmechanism for 'disconnecting sai pull rod from the door when the doorsare closed whereby the door may be opened without actuating themechanism, said key operated mechanism comprising a bell crank leverpivoted on the door having one of its legs engageable with the pull rodwhereby it will detach the pull rod from the door when the bell cranklever is moved in one direction, a second bell crank lever p ivoted tothe door, a connecting rod connecting said bell cranks, a secondconnecting rod conbe disposed ina position engageable by a key nected tosaid second bell crank, sprm means supported in said bearing, and a keyinsertible adapted to normally maintain said bel cranks in said bearingto en a e said second connect- 10 in a position unai'ecting saidconnection being rod to operate t e ell cranks and there- 5 tween thepull rod and the door, a key bearing by disconnect the pull rod from thedoor.

in the door and to which the scond connecting rod is slidably connectedwhereby its end will ALEXANDER MARTIN.

